Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki, who is paying a working visit to Canada, delivered an address at a reception that the Macedonian Orthodox Community in Canada and the United Macedonians Organization of Canada hosted late Tuesday at the St. Clement of Ohrid Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral in Toronto.

"Upon my arrival here, you all made me feel as if I were at home. Fostering Macedonian tradition, culture and language unites all of us wherever we may be", Poposki said.

He reaffirmed Macedonia's commitment to fostering its ties with the members of the Macedonian communities throughout the world. To that end the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been supporting the activities that the Macedonian diaspora has been undertaking on a yearly basis via its annual public call for project applications, Poposki said.

"Macedonians in Canada enjoy a reputation of being sincere, hardworking and law-abiding citizens of Canada. You are Macedonia's greatest and first-in-line ambassadors. You are the ones who make the first impression of Macedonia and its people in everyone else's eyes. Your success is also a success for our nation and country. Macedonia feels proud of its diaspora," the FM said.

Representatives of the Macedonian Orthodox Community and the United Macedonians Organization of Canada voiced their satisfaction with and expressed hope for the successful cooperation with their homeland and its institutions to continue in the future, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.